11/23/2012

Ralph DeLeo, a reputed street boss and crew head with the Colombo family, has received nearly 20 years in prison on racketeering and weapons charges as reported by The Boston Globe: "the crew operated mainly in Massachusetts, Arkansas, Florida and New York."

Prosecutors alleged Guerra was involved in the 1992 hit against Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devine for dating the wife of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico, and the 1993 hit against Joseph Scopo during a Colombo power struggle among rival factions.

The murder acquittals ensures that Guerra won't be locked away for life but he still faces twenty years in prison for the five counts on which he was convicted.

06/21/2012

The Colombo-associate-turned-government-informant testified at the racketeering trial of Francis "B.F." Guerra that he botched three hits as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News: "In one case, he shot Patricia Capozzalo, the sister of Peter (Fat Pete) Chiodo, telling defense lawyer Gerald McMahon, 'I knew I didn't kill her. She was still screaming when we left.'"

Guerra is charged for his alleged roles in the 1992 hit against Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devine for dating the wife of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico, and the 1993 hit against Joseph Scopo during a Colombo power struggle among rival factions.

Basiano testified that he heard Guerra was part of the team that whacked Scopo.

Reputed Colombo associate George Wylie Thompson has been sentenced to 70 months on a racketeering conviction according to a DOJ press release: "Thompson pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the RICO statute, for his role in providing firearms, a silencer and ammunition, to those involved in a criminal enterprise."

Federal prosecutors allege that Thompson was a member of a crew headed by former street boss Ralph DeLeo which principally engaged in drug trafficking and loan sharking. Although the DeLeo Crew was based in Somerville, MA it also operated in New York and Arkansas where Thompson resided according to the feds.

Earlier this month Deleo agreed to plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy among other charges arising from a federal indictment out of Boston, MA as reported by Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. DeLeo is slated to plead guilty on September 6, and faces between 201 and 235 months. Prosecutors say DeLeo reported to family boss Carmine "The Snake" Persico and ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico both of whom are in prison.

06/14/2012

Prison officials may want to reconsider their policy of releasing suspected mobsters to attend the funerals of family members.

Colombo-capo-turned-government-witness Anthony “Big Anthony” Russo alleges Theodore "Skinny Teddy" Persico Jr. ordered the 1993 hit against rival Joey Scopo "while attending his own grandmother’s wake in a Brooklyn funeral home -- where he'd been taken in shackles by correction officers because he was doing a prison stint at the time"as reported by Mitchel Maddux and Dan Mangan for the New York Post.

Russo made the claim during his testimony yesterday at the racketeering trial of Francis "B.F." Guerra who is charged for his alleged role in the murder of Scopo and in the 1992 hit against Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devine.

Devine was whacked according to Russo for dating the wife of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico as reported by Mitchel Maddux for the New York Post: "'You don't have affairs with other people's wives -- especially members of the Colombo crime family,' Russo said."

06/13/2012

The federal racketeering trial began on Monday against reputed Colombo mobster Francis "B.F." Guerra who "is charged with participating in two gangland murders — and extorting dough out of a pizza maker he suspected of stealing a secret recipe from his in-laws' famed Brooklyn restaurant" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News. Federal prosecutors allege Guerra was involved in the 1992 hit against Staten Island nightclub owner Michael Devine for dating the wife of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico, and the 1993 hit against Joseph Scopo during a Colombo power struggle among rival factions.

06/01/2012

Ralph DeLeo, a reputed Colombo street boss from Somerville, MA, agreed yesterday in a Boston federal courthouse "to plead to charges of racketeering conspiracy and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition" as reported by Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. DeLeo is slated to plead guilty on September 6, and faces between 201 and 235 months in prison.

Prosecutors say DeLeo reported to family boss Carmine "The Snake" Persico and ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico both of whom are in prison.

Meanwhile, Franklin Goldman, an alleged member of DeLeo's New England crew, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to racketeering involving "extortion, marijuana dealing and conspiracy to beat up a man" as reported by Lane Lambert for the Patriot Ledger. Goldman will be sentenced on August 29, and faces up to twenty years.

04/24/2012

Ralph DeLeo, a reputed Colombo boss from Somerville, MA who is accused of running the family's New England operations, will "plead guilty to a federal racketeering conspiracy charge" today in a Boston federal courthouse as reported by Denise Lavoie for The Associated Press.

DeLeo allegedly reported to family boss Carmine "The Snake" Persico and ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico both of whom are in prison.

04/25/12 Update: DeLeo's anticipated guilty plea has been postponed for two weeks after the 68-year-old defendant apparently suffered a bout of "high blood pressure" as reported by The Associated Press.

12/16/2011

This time it's capo Reynold Maragni who has been wearing a wire for the feds, and last week he captured a conversation with reputed soldier Vincent Manzo which seemingly implicates former acting boss Thomas "Tommy Shots" Gioeli in the 1999 rubout of underboss William "Wild Bill" Cutolo in a Brooklyn basement during a family power struggle as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News: "'Tommy was there,' Manzo replied."

Manzo has not been charged in Cutolo's murder but he "described how Gioeli directed him to take the body to a wooded section of Farmingdale, LI, which the Colombo family used as one of its 'killing fields,' the transcript says" as reported by Mitchel Maddux for the New York Post.

Earlier this year a federal appeals court upheld the life sentences imposed on one-time acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico and capo John "Jackie" DeRoss following their 2007 convictions for the Cutolo hit.

Tommy Shots is sitting in jail while awaiting trial on six gangland killings.

09/20/2011

The FBI has assembled an extensive roster of Colombo mobsters who now are cooperating witnesses, and among them is Frankie "Blue Eyes" Sparaco whom the feds claim in court filings "was involved in at least three gangland slayings" during the family's civil war "in the early 1990s while he was an informant" as reported by John Marzulli for the Daily News: "prosecutors disclosed the secret because lawyers for Colombo crime boss Thomas (Tommy Shots) Gioeli and soldier Dino (Little Dino) Saracino were mulling over spilling the secret at their upcoming trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes stated in court papers."

However, the FBI was unaware of Sparaco's alleged role in the killings at the time.

Sparaco allegedly was involved in the 1992 murders of soldier Michael Imbergamo and bystander John Minerva, and the 1992 rubout of Michael Devine who was dating the estranged wife of reputed ex-acting boss Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico.